Cute chicks and 3D knits

It's weird, you get all grateful that you still have a nose and you're reading a book that you're really enjoying and your Earl Grey tastes particularly good and you had a nice conversation with a taxi driver about the Alexander Technique (he was trained in it, I just vaguely knew what it was) and then you arrive home at 9.30pm and suddenly have a cry. Maybe it's because today was my last day at work and while it didn't feel at all 'final' during the day or even when I was packing up my desk (which had crap crammed in every corner and hidden at the back of drawers - flyers for shows, clippings of reviews from the paper, a shoebox, flowers made from electrical wires...), arriving home always seems to trigger the waterworks. Or maybe I should just stop writing posts so late at night.

Anyway, eye leakage aside, last night was Monday night Knitting Circle and once again it was rocking! I don't know why but it seems there has suddenly been an influx of people who are coming regularly. A wee while ago five people was a big turn out; now there are consistently ten or more. I like it, even though I often end up sitting by people I know and chatting to them because I haven't seen them for a week or more.



This little chicken is SO cute and was made by a lovely woman whose name escapes me...She first came along a few months ago and said she'd bought a white mohair (I think it's mohair, it's a fluffy, fine, hairy kind of yarn) beret and wanted to knit a scarf to match it. She hadn't knit in 'years and years' but she designed her own scarf pattern and the scarf turned out beautifully, it's a big loop that's long enough for her to twist around and have drape down. Last night when she got rugged up to leave I noticed she had white mohair gloves too and asked if she'd bought them to match her hat and scarf, 'No,' she said, 'I made them!' She's a sewing teacher so maybe that gave her a headstart in craft cleverness. Also, guess who she made that little chicken for? Her son and his girlfriend's new kitten. For a kitten! I mean, honestly. That is one spoiled kitten.

The craft rage was strong within Anita last night. She's finished the baby hat from the other week and seems pretty happy with it.

(this '3D image' shows the swirled effect from the picture in the pattern)

She's also knitted one bootie. Which looks, umm, unique. But I'm sure if she washes it and then dries it with something stuffed inside so it dries in shape it will be fine.

(my attempt at making the bootie 3D)

She bravely began another after I apparently 'forced' her to. I think the craft rage clouded her perception because, as far as I can recall, I merely made encouraging noises when she was arguing with herself about what to start next and whether she'd even brought the right stuff with her and how she'd started her second arm warmer the other day but dropped stitches so had to unravel it and start all over again. Knitting actually makes our lives so difficult. For examply, my sock continues taunting me by growing ever so slightly but not quite reaching the seven inch mark.

Meanwhile, it turned out both Penny and I had been independently secretly thinking of roller derby names for ourselves for the alternate reality in which we can both skate without severely injuring ourselves. Penny had come up with 'Hermione Danger' and 'Lady Die' (particularly appropriate considering her recent obsession with Charles and Diana memorabilia), while my favourite was 'Katherine Maimsfield'. I explained that I wanted a literary themed roller derby team, so we spent a lot of time coming up with other names for members of the team - 'Margaret Mahem', 'Pain Austen', 'Janet Framed', 'JK Brawling'. In our alternate reality our roller derby team would totally be the coolest of the cool.